M3 steering rack vs normal steering rack (settle a dispute)

[M42Technik]

Why, I swapped a 1990 M3 Steering rack into mh 86 ETA and it bolted right up, just unbolt the steering column right at the flange at the rack, pull it out, installation is reverse.

all the hoses are the same, same tie rods, etc.

I fail to see the issue with airbag based cars

Not the donor car, the car it is going into shouldn't have an airbag. EX = Dude buys a E36 M3 steering rack, cannot fit without modifying into a '91 318is airbag. I'm now very confused as to what can and can't be done without modification to the rack.

I am unsure what it will fit into and what wont. Buy an E30 M3 rack and place it in, if it doesn't fit, sell it. Or don't listen to me anymore!

[Kruzen]

what kind of modification needs to be done to make the m3 rack fit in an airbagged car?

[James Crivellone]

Why, I swapped a 1990 M3 Steering rack into mh 86 ETA and it bolted right up, just unbolt the steering column right at the flange at the rack, pull it out, installation is reverse.

all the hoses are the same, same tie rods, etc.

I fail to see the issue with airbag based cars

Not the donor car, the car it is going into shouldn't have an airbag. EX = Dude buys a E36 M3 steering rack, cannot fit without modifying into a '91 318is airbag. I'm now very confused as to what can and can't be done without modification to the rack.

I am unsure what it will fit into and what wont. Buy an E30 M3 rack and place it in, if it doesn't fit, sell it. Or don't listen to me anymore!

I am not sure what the difference is, the E30 Rack dimensions between airbag and non airbag are identicle.


the steering column linkage from the firewall to the rack IS different from airbag and non airbag, however you can swap this on the steering rack, it just slides off a spline.